On Tuesday, December 3, 2002, Saad Eddin Ibrahim, an Egyptian-American Sociologist, was released from a prison pending his new trail. Egypt's highest Appeals Court ordered a re-trial for him overturning a previous decision by the State Security Court. Last year, Ibrahim was convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison on charges of tarnishing Egypt's image, accepting foreign money without government approval, and embezzling funds. This action has been widely condemned by human rights groups as politically motivated. The new trial will start on January 7, 2003. At least five of the Appeals Court judges will preside over the re-trial, which will be Ibrahim's third trial on the same charges.